Improvement in machinery for making rope



N: PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHlNGY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F. I. MILLERLl OF BUFORD, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING ROPE.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 31,615, dated March 5, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F. I. MILLER, of Buford, in the county of Randolph and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Rope-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

This improvement relates to that class of rope-machines to be used on plantations for the purpose of making plow-lines and other ropes or twines useful in so many of the different avocations thereon.

The drawing represents a plan view of my invention, and in which- A is the platform; B, ways of dovetail form fastened securely to the said platform; C C', frames which support the gearing-wheels, as shown, the frame C having corresponding dovetailed grooves to the ways B and sliding thereon, for the purpose hereinafter eX- vplained; D, a self-adjusting grooved twistregulator, having grooves d d d therein for the strands to slip through and for their guidance, which regulator is placed at the junction of the strands e e e, and over which they are twisted, forming the rope E.

F is a weight attached by means of a rope f to the frame C, which tends to keep the strands sufficiently stretched to prevent their knotting or nicking when they are twisted hard:

G G G are cog-wheels gearing into a driving cog-wheel H, the shafts g g g of which project outside of the box c and one strand of the rope to be made attached thereto.

I' is the cog-wheel, actuated by cog-wheel I, to the end of the shaft vl of which the ends of the strands are all attached.

The operation is as follows: Strands e e c are attached, as shown, to the forward ends of shafts g g g. Their other ends are attached to the forward end' of shaft 't'. The strands then would appear as indicated by dotted lines. These strands must now be twisted separately, which is done by turning the crank K in the direction indicated by arrow l. This will turn the large cog-wheel H and through it the smaller wheels G G G. This will of course twist each strand to the right. When the required twist is given each strand, the operator leaves this crank and placing the regulator D at the junction of the strands turns the crank L in the direction indicated by arrow 2. As this twists the strands together the regulator D will be pressed back-r ward and so continue until the rope is completed. By increasing the number of smaller cog-wheels the thicker rope may be made or the number of strands increased. As the strands by being twisted become shorter, the frame C slides up on its ways and thus always gives the proper tension to the rope while in process of manufacture.

In the manufacture of heavy rope the gearing in the frame C would be so placed as to bring the shaft I directly in front of the shaft of the cog-wheel I-l, and thus avoid the angular draft, which is shown in the model. It is thus placed here to make the machine more compact for transportation, &c. v

The platform is made in two parts, whic are hinged together, as shown in dotted lines. When the machine is not in use, the frame C may be placed close -up to the side of the frame C, and the part of the platform now unoccupied may be turned up by means of hinges m, (shown in dotted lines,) for convenience in storage, cinc.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the folding platform A and sliding frame C', with its wheels I I', with the stationary frame C, with its wheels I-I G G G, and grooved self-adjusting regulator D, arranged for operation, as and for the purposes set forth.

F. I. MILLER.

Witnesses:

B. P. SHANNON, J. B. SHEOPHIEE. 

